2014/04/20

Bird-watching at Sawmill Creek Constructed Wetland

I was debating where to spend some time outside this long weekend, especially because the public transit schedule is different every single day.  Looking at eBird, I realized there was a bird-watching spot very close to where I live called Sawmill Creek Constructed Wetland, so I searched for instructions on how to get there this morning and walked there right after.

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The main purposes of this man-made wetland are to collect run-off water and de-silt the water before it flows into Sawmill Creek.

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It took me only about 20 minutes to walk to here.

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Saw my first woolly bear this year but it was partially squished, so I moved it off the path and hoped it will still survive.

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Found a bird-kill scene on the grass.  It was a large bird.

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Feathers.

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More (tail) feathers, with my shoe next to them for scale.  I am guessing it was a Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) that got killed.

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Looking at the "main cell".

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The "wetland".  It is nice to have such a "natural" area right in between a shopping centre and a major road.

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One part of the pathway is blocked by construction for the Airport Parkway Bridge, which apparently is way behind schedule and heavily criticized.

Now onto the animals and plants I saw while walking around the wetland.

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Ring-necked Ducks (Aythya collaris).

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A sparrow.  I am guessing a Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia), but I could totally be incorrect.

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Same as above.

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Pussy willows (female).

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Buffleheads (Bucephala albeola).

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The area is so well-groomed that the only plant flowering is coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara).  The only insect I saw visiting the flowers were flies such as above.

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis).
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While scanning the vegetation with my binocular, I realized there was something different hiding among the cattails about 100 metres away.  Looking closer, I realize it might be a Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), which is a species I have seen many times in Taiwan but never here in Canada. [Correction: After Wanderin' Weeta mentioned my post in her recent blog post, I went back to my post from my one visit to Reifel and realized I have seen this species once before.  Therefore, this was my second time.  Still, it was cool to see it again after almost six years.]

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When I walked to the other side of the pond, I searched for a while before seeing its back through shrub branches.  It is definitely a BCNH, such a cool find!

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Then I saw this Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) looking at the animals in/on the water before it was chased off by two blackbirds.

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Hooded Mergansers (Lophodytes cucullatus).

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Common Mergansers (Mergus merganser).

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And then one of my favourite birds - a Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps).

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Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus).

Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus).
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Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos).

Some other birds that I saw but didn't photograph were: starlings, a woodpecker (either a Hairy or a Downy), crows, and gulls.

I am glad I found such a spot so close to where I live.  I might visit this place when I need to correct my "nature deficiency".

1 comment:

Susannah Anderson said...

I mentioned you and this post in today's blog post. Here

I'm glad you've finally found yourself a good wetland!

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